1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and, in particular, to lavatories in aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to providing a desired level of access to lavatories in an aircraft.
2. Background
In designing and manufacturing aircraft, maximizing the amount of space available for passenger seating is an important consideration. In addition to passenger seating, galleys, closets, lavatories, and other areas may take up space in the interior of the aircraft.
With respect to the design of lavatories, handicap access is important. Handicap access includes access for passengers in wheelchairs. Standards for handicap access in an aircraft are often specified through regulations and laws.
In some cases, the lavatories designed for accommodating handicapped passengers require more space than standard lavatories in an aircraft. A lavatory may be redesigned to provide the desired amount of space for access by handicapped passengers.
The redesign may be performed for an aircraft being manufactured or the redesign may be used to refurbish existing aircraft to provide the desired access for handicapped passengers. This redesign may take various forms. For example, the perimeter of the lavatory may be redesigned such that a desired amount of space is present with a desired configuration within the lavatory.
In some cases, the lavatories may be redesigned to extend into space normally used for aisles or other purposes when access by a handicapped passenger is needed. In yet other examples, a more efficient use of space may involve two lavatories being positioned next to each other and reconfigured to provide more access as a single lavatory for a handicapped passenger when needed.
These and other systems have been used to provide additional access for handicapped passengers but may not provide as efficient of a design as desired in an aircraft. For example, lavatories that use additional space in the cabin may be more difficult to reconfigure than desired. These systems also may limit desired access in other areas when a lavatory is reconfigured to use additional space in the cabin.
Also, lavatories that are convertible from two lavatories into a single lavatory also may be more difficult to reconfigure and may not be as efficient as desired. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.